Wednesday, February 09, 2011

As usual we started our day with breakfast at our hotel. Unlike the previous days I decided to be a bit more selective with my first meal of the day which is a Malaysian breakfast. Or at least, it's as Malaysian as I can get..

Our first stop was at the Elephant Trunk Hill Park but before we came to the actual spot that we could see the hill, we went to the Wine Museum which was in the park itself.

At the starting point...

Elephant 'wall'...

A group of ladies practicing tai chi...

Elephant statue...

The Wine Museum...

The Chinese store wine in 'Tajau's too

What you will see once you enter the museum..

The different wine bottles on the display case.

I'm not sure what this is but clear liquid flows through it.

Goofing around.. Lol...

Medicinal wine...

Can you spot the snake, goat and pig?

Hihihi...

Elephant Trunk Hill...

Mickey Mouse pose.. Lol...

Lastly, we went to what was to be our final destination of the day which is a silk manufacturer/distributor. I'm not sure if they do one or the other or even both. They do sell finished goods though at the top floor.

Off to a silk manufacturor/distributor...

Silk worm cocoons...

Colored ones...

Silk made into the Emperor's clothes...

... and the Empress's...

How the cocoons would look like before they are harvested...

After the cocoons are harvested, they are soaked in water....

... so that they can be stretched over 'U' shaped iron rods.

As you can see, silk fibers are long, unlike cotton. This makes silk a very durable material. The guide punched her hand through the middle of the silk (above) and it didn't break..

Silk fibers are very stretchable. This small piece was stretched....

... to become a comforter..

Stretching a piece of silk is not a walk in the park. Believe me when I say that it requires skill, patience and practice. We gave it a whirl and ended up with an unbalanced layer (which thankfully could be repaired). Layers are added upon layers until the desired weight is achieved. There are 1KGs (the optimum weigh for our tropical weather) and 2 KGs (or is it 2.5KGs?) available.

A finished silk bed-spread. Each pattern brings meaning (if I'm not mistaken the pattern above is really good for businessmen).

This pattern is suitable for newly-wed couples..

We went to have our lunch and it turns out that a Muslim brother had passed away. Our tour group joined in the Solat Jenazah and it's just the same as it is in Malaysia.

In China, I noticed that the Muslim women wore a kopiah-like head cover. Those with the red dot on their kopiah are family members of the deceased.

After lunch we went to Fubo Shan (aka Wave Subduing Hill)

Fubo Shan

Trees decorated with Chinese Laterns..

Reminds me of the decor in the house compound of a certain person in Terengganu (or is it Kelantan?) Hint: AP.. Lol...

Can you spot a certain type of bird?

We went to the cave-like structure underground....

And then we came out the other side to see this...

It's so beautiful...

The guide told us that the Chinese love the round shape because it symbolizes perfection. That's why in a family feast especially on CNY Eve they would sit and eat at a round table. It means that everyone of the family is present, eating good food and having a good time so everything is perfect. The bowls are also round. A round face (like the ones the statues above have, not round from gluttony) is considered a lucky face.. Hehe..

I personally call this The Wishing Stone

Our guide told us that whenever people have a desire for something, (e.g. to get married or for their children to get good results in an important exam) they would come to this spot, put their hand under the overhanging stone, stroke/touch it and make their wish. That's why I personally call it The Wishing Stone.

We saw this lady swimming and we were very amazed at how relaxed she was in the water whereas we were on the shore and bundled up to our chin yet still felt chilly. We drew the conclusion that she was either a reptilian or one very loco mammal.

We went half-way up the hill to get a view of the city.

Well there you have it, Day 4 of my Guilin Trip. I will try to complete my final two grossly overdue post on this trip as soon as possible. Cheers!